In generally known electrical connectors, connection terminals are installed in a housing main body such that the connection terminals are held in position by means of clamping lances formed integrally with the housing main body to prevent the connector terminals from being drawn backwardly. In order to improve the locking, there has been proposed to couple a rear holder to a rear portion of the housing main body and to lock the connector terminals by clamping lances formed integrally with the rear holder.
After coupling mutually cooperating connectors with each other, these connectors are locked by means of locking mechanisms provided on the housing main bodies of the connectors. In general, the rear holder does not have any role for mutually locking the connectors, and therefore the locking of the rear hold could not be performed sufficiently. Upon coupling the mutually cooperating connectors with each other, if a relatively large force is applied to the rear holder, the rear holder might be removed from the housing main body.
Furthermore, since a locking arm for locking the housing main bodies of the mutually cooperating connectors with each other is provided on one of the housing main bodies, this housing main body is liable to be large in size and a height of the housing main body is increased.
The present invention has for its object to provide an electrical connector, in which the above mentioned problems can be effectively removed and upon coupling first and second connectors with each other, a rear holder of the first connector can be positively locked to a housing main body of the first connector by locking the rear holder to a housing main body of the second connector.